How is asthma treated in the emergency room?
Emergency rooms vary in staffing, equipment and quality like any other element within the medical system. If you are asthmatic, you may potentially have an acute asthmatic attack (onset of strong wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and/or turning blue) and thus may need emergency treatment. If you are prepared to treat an asthma flare early at home with a nebulizer and possibly oral corticosteroids as directed by your asthma specialist, you may never need an emergency room. Remember it is important to tell your asthma specialist as soon as your symptoms flare. Nevertheless occasionally your asthma may get out of control because you do not follow recommendations, run out of medication, fail to attend follow-up visits as recommended, lack emergency back up medications, or carelessly put yourself in risky situations (e.g. exposure to cigarette smoke or known allergens). You may also experience severe flares due to situations that you cannot avoid including respiratory infections, expo
